"We Had Delivery Problems with Your Parcel"

May 09, 2017

There's been an increase in USPS-themed spam emails hitting users with three different types of malware. These three pieces of malware are designed to infiltrate the victim's system and steal all valuable information. In order to try and trick users into downloading the attachment, the malicious emails have various subjects and body messages that reference to missing or late USPS parcels.

If users are convinced the message is legitimate, download the attachment, and launch the file, their computer will be exposed to malware designed to commandeer their computer and steal their financial information. The three types of malware the attachment contains are different in design, but all work to compromise the user's security.

The first type provides the attacker with remote access to the infected machine which gives them full access to it. A fileless malware, or malicious code that exists only in memory, is also used and has the ability to execute code directly through the registry - the database that contains the settings for the hardware and software in the computer it's installed in. The final piece of malware scans the computer for any kind of information the attackers believe to be valuable and transmits it to their server for use in further attacks. When used collectively, these three types of malware will take hold of your machine and drain your bank accounts.

Always be wary of suspicious looking shipping notices arriving via email, and never install files received in an attachment without being certain of their origin. As yourself if you're expecting a package. If you're not expecting any, do not click on the attachment no matter how legitimate the email may look. Another option is to contact the USPS directly - not replying to the email - and ask about the email and package in question. They should be able to inform you if you have a package waiting for you or not.